Running Head: POND ECOSYSTEM 1
POND ECOSYSTEM 3
Chemicals on Pond Ecosystem
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission
Abstract
Farm pond ecosystem ought to be managed well for better results. For instance, in our case, it is important to eradicate the invasive plants in order to protect the other beneficial aquatic animals. There are several techniques which can be used in eradicating invasive plants in ponds ranging from mechanical to chemical to cultural. Each technique has pros and cons. Chemical techniques of controlling invasive species save time and involve little labor. However, the chemicals have huge negative impacts on other organisms such as fish. This essay will address the pros and cons of using chemicals in the eradication of invasive aquatic plants.
Introduction
Ponds comprise of complex systems that support the lives of many microorganisms. Phytoplankton is the basis of aquatic life in the pond ecosystem. These refer to small photosynthetic organisms which are usually single-celled. They are also referred to as algae. Zooplanktons are other small organisms which live in farm ponds and they are members of the animal kingdom that are found on the surface of the water. Examples of zooplankton include cladocerans, rotifers, and copepods. Zooplankton such as crustaceans, insects, and tadpoles consume phytoplankton. Larger animals (invertebrates) like bivalves (fingernail clams), annelids (leeches), gastropods (snails), decapods (crayfish), oligochaetes (worms), and insects consume the small animals. The above creates a complex food web that takes place in the pond ecosystem.
The pros of using chemicals to eradicate invasive plants include the following: will kill the target plants, saves time, effective tool for new and small infestations of invasive plants, less labor intensive than other methods such as cultural and mechanical methods, and lastly, it can have residual control of seed-bank for future years depending on the type of chemical used (Relyea, 2005). Use of chemicals will eradicate all the targeted species or plants. This means all the invasive plants will be destroyed giving room for other beneficial organisms. Secondly, the method is simple and involves simple procedures. This means that it saves time compared to other techniques. In terms of labor, the pond owner is only expected to spray the area with the best chemical and all targeted species will die.
Use of chemicals is also believed to have some disadvantages or negative impacts on aquatic life. This is because the chemicals will kill or affect the other organisms living in the water. For instance, the chemical used to prevent and control invasive plants can have a harmful impact on small microorganisms which.
1. Running Head: POND ECOSYSTEM
1
POND ECOSYSTEM
3
Chemicals on Pond Ecosystem
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date of Submission
Abstract
Farm pond ecosystem ought to be managed well for better
results. For instance, in our case, it is important to eradicate the
invasive plants in order to protect the other beneficial aquatic
animals. There are several techniques which can be used in
eradicating invasive plants in ponds ranging from mechanical to
chemical to cultural. Each technique has pros and cons.
Chemical techniques of controlling invasive species save time
and involve little labor. However, the chemicals have huge
negative impacts on other organisms such as fish. This essay
will address the pros and cons of using chemicals in the
2. eradication of invasive aquatic plants.
Introduction
Ponds comprise of complex systems that support the lives
of many microorganisms. Phytoplankton is the basis of aquatic
life in the pond ecosystem. These refer to small photosynthetic
organisms which are usually single-celled. They are also
referred to as algae. Zooplanktons are other small organisms
which live in farm ponds and they are members of the animal
kingdom that are found on the surface of the water. Examples of
zooplankton include cladocerans, rotifers, and copepods.
Zooplankton such as crustaceans, insects, and tadpoles consume
phytoplankton. Larger animals (invertebrates) like bivalves
(fingernail clams), annelids (leeches), gastropods (snails),
decapods (crayfish), oligochaetes (worms), and insects consume
the small animals. The above creates a complex food web that
takes place in the pond ecosystem.
The pros of using chemicals to eradicate invasive plants
include the following: will kill the target plants, saves time,
effective tool for new and small infestations of invasive plants,
less labor intensive than other methods such as cultural and
mechanical methods, and lastly, it can have residual control of
seed-bank for future years depending on the type of chemical
used (Relyea, 2005). Use of chemicals will eradicate all the
targeted species or plants. This means all the invasive plants
will be destroyed giving room for other beneficial organisms.
3. Secondly, the method is simple and involves simple procedures.
This means that it saves time compared to other techniques. In
terms of labor, the pond owner is only expected to spray the
area with the best chemical and all targeted species will die.
Use of chemicals is also believed to have some
disadvantages or negative impacts on aquatic life. This is
because the chemicals will kill or affect the other organisms
living in the water. For instance, the chemical used to prevent
and control invasive plants can have a harmful impact on small
microorganisms which are a food to larger animals like fish. In
addition to providing food, small aquatic animals determine the
health of a farm pond ecosystem. They all have unique habitat
requirements and will respond to changes in chemical,
biological, and physical makeup of the environment differently
(Hahn et al., 2014).
Invasion species or plants spread easily in a farm pond
ecosystem and within a short period of time, they out-compete
other animals in the habitat. They are believed to reduce
biodiversity and also lessen the suitability of the environment
for other aquatic animals such as fish. There are a number of
techniques which are employed to eradicate the invasive species
and they include mechanical, biological, and chemical controls.
However, to make the process more effective, it is advisable to
combine all of the above methods. For instance, manual removal
of plats from the farm pond followed by careful treatment using
selective herbicide in order to remove weed residues is very
effective.
Biological control, on the other hand, involves the use of
natural methods like beneficial insects to reduce the spread or
reproduction of invasive plants. For the technique to be
effective, farm owners should identify the predators of such
plants. Chemical techniques for controlling invasive plants such
as the use of herbicides and pesticides can only be effective if
used carefully. When used inappropriately or irresponsibly,
herbicides and pesticides can contaminate ground and surface
water thus translating to negative impacts on other aquatic
4. animals. Herbicides used in water are different from those used
on land.
Generally, the effects of using chemicals on a pond
ecosystem to eradicate invasive plants include the death of
aquatic animals, diseases, and disruption of food-chains. The
main problem caused by the use of chemicals on farm ponds is
that it kills organisms that depend on the water. For instance,
reptiles and invertebrates living in the pond will be killed by
the chemicals. In other cases, the chemical can kill useful
animals such as fish in the water. This majorly happens when
the pond owner uses the wrong chemical to eradicate the weed.
There are two types of herbicides, those which are used on land
and those which are used in water. Use of land chemicals to
eradicate aquatic plants will have a huge impact on the health of
the animals living in the farm pond.
Disruption of food-chains- use of chemicals to eradicate
aquatic weed also disrupts natural food chain (Hill, Heimbach,
Leeuwangh, & Matthiessen, 2018). When the chemical is
consumed by the microorganisms and the microorganisms are
later consumed by fish, the entire population becomes affected.
Lastly, the affected fish, if consumed by humans, cause diseases
and infections. People are expected to get diseases like hepatitis
by eating poisoned fish.
Conclusion
Chemicals are good if used appropriately and effectively.
This is because they eradicate all the targeted species and little
labor is needed. Unlike other methods such as mechanical
techniques, use of chemicals saves time thus making the method
more effective. However, chemicals have a huge impact on
aquatic life. They can lead to the death of other beneficial
organisms and animals. Consumption of poisoned fish can also
cause human diseases and infections.
My recommendation is that the Mountain View College
facilities department should not use chemicals to eradicate the
plants since the cons are more than the cons. The procedure will
have more negative impacts than the benefits. It is, therefore,
5. better to use other techniques such as the mechanical method of
eradication. This entails physical uprooting of the plants. This
will not affect the life of other organisms in the farm pond.
References
Hahn, T., Diamond, J., Dobson, S., Howe, P., Kielhorn, J.,
Koennecker, G., ... & Taylor, K. (2014). Predicted no effect
concentration derivation as a significant source of variability in
environmental hazard assessments of chemicals in aquatic
systems: An international analysis. Integrated environmental
assessment and management, 10(1), 30-36.
Hill, I. R., Heimbach, F., Leeuwangh, P., & Matthiessen, P.
(2018). Freshwater field tests for hazard assessment of
chemicals. CRC Press.
Relyea, R. A. (2005). The impact of insecticides and herbicides
on the biodiversity and productivity of aquatic
communities. Ecological applications, 15(2), 618-627.
Consumer FoodAnnual Food Spending ($)Annual Household
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Outside
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